Blogs

All of my blogs are gathered into topics and sections instead of all being on the home page. You can find them by clicking on the links above.

Which sex / How many?

Another often asked question is when getting a rabbit which sex is best to get and how many?1 or 2? This is a guide in order to help you decide which is best for you.

Only one:

If you are around a lot and will be spending lots of time with your rabbit such as a house bunny then one is best as you tend to build up an inseparable bond and won't start to favouritise which can lead to aggression. But which sex?

Male: Males tend to be much more playful and mostly prefer being on the ground running around your feet as supposed to cuddles. If you want a really playful bunny - a male is best. If you are wanting to show - a male is best as they have a longer show life as females get a dewlap at around 6 months old which can disqualify them. There is a down side to males though - unless they are for use as a stud buck they should be neutered. This is for a number of reasons. Males can get extremely aggressive and neutering will calm them down. It also helps prevent testicular cancer, and spraying. Once meutered however they are lovely pets. They must be neutered as young as possible in order to prevent aggression becoming the norm.

Females: Females tend not to be as playful as males and usually prefer cuddles and affection. They also tend to be more docile. Females unlike males do not need to be neutered however it is a good idea to as it helps prevent uterus cancer and any aggression.




Two:


If you are out at work or school for a number of hours each day and therefore can't spend as much time with them then it's advisable to keep two rabbits as they are sociable and will keep each other company. But which combinations?


Two males: It is not recommended to keep two males together as like any animal - they will fight. Even two brothers after around 6 months old will fight and cause serious injury. There are always exceptions however and i know of someone who got two males at the same time and kept them together, neutered and they are fine however that is extremely rare.

Two males will fight

Two females: Two females is the best option if you are not prepared to get them neutered. They must be from the same litter and got at the same time as females from different litters will fight and if you get one settled in then introduce another one the one already there will attack the new one as unneutered females are extremely territorial. Two females from the same litter will get on however sometimes dominance will occur and the dominant one may pick on the other one which can lead to one being fat and one being thin. If this happens or you see any signs of aggression i suggest keeping them in separate hutches at night as they need there space and sleep and one may be annoying the other. However during the day they can be free to play together in the same run or garden. Allowing them their own space to sleep and eat will allow the aggression to cease and they will get equal amounts of food. My two french lop sisters shared a hutch for 6 years before they started annoying each other so i put them in separate hutches at night but they played together during the day and that really helped and they were much happier. They are now almost 10.


A male and a Female: This is the best combination. Obviously they should be both neutered. This will cancel out any hormones and they will be the very best of friends. No fighting, no aggression - it's perfect. You must be prepared to get them both neutered.

A neutered male and female will get on



I hope this has helped. If you have any questions or enquiries just ask.

Dusty Russell Rabbitry

I have just recently properly launched my new rabbitry Dusty Russell Rabbitry after my lovely french lop Dusty Russell died this year on her 10th birthday. It deals with breeding, boarding and rescue and now training and grooming. I will be starting my new breeding programme next spring as i just got a new breeding female. I am also trying to take on more boarding as it is very needed in this area. I just rescued 4 lovely lops and have just rehomed them all to good homes.
Check out my rabbitry website for any info or contact details:
dustyrussellrabbitry.webs.com

The Guide To Rabbit Speak - Intro

We all know how frustrating it is when we're unable to understand and be understood by others. It's especially important to be able to communicate with those who share our living space, and for many of us that means being able to fluently speak and understand Rabbit. Unfortunately, too few who share their lives with a rabbit know what their rabbit is trying to tell them, or how to express themselves in terms their rabbit will understand. This guide was written to help remedy this situation by explaining some of the signals rabbits use to communicate, and answer the common question, "What did my rabbit mean by that?"


Being able to speak and understand Rabbit requires that you learn to think at least a little like a rabbit. Your rabbit will never learn to understand many of the mysterious things you do ("Why the heck did she just change into three different outfits before leaving for work?"), but you can certainly understand why rabbits do what they do. You'll be pretty close to the truth if you think of rabbits as being from a society very different from your own, with different priorities, goals, important lessons, and gestures. Learning Rabbit is in some ways like human cultural studies, but of course the subject individuals have much longer ears.


People who expect rabbits to be like dogs often find the most important difference in the relationships they form with humans is that dogs may give unconditional love and trust, but rabbits don't. Please repeat after me... rabbits are not like dogs, rabbits are not like cats, rabbits are like rabbits. This is why it's so important to know how they think and what they want! As it turns out, what all rabbits want more than anything is respect and affection, and when you learn to give these properly (i.e. like a rabbit) you'll freely get them in return.


A great deal of the signaling described here involves the use of uppy ears, which not all domestic rabbit breeds have. Lop-eared rabbits will move their ears in a manner consistent with what uppy eared rabbits will do, but the results are usually much less obvious. Different lops will vary in how they are capable of moving their ears, and may therefore be able to use only certain of the ear signals described here. Still, with close attention you may be able to draw almost as much information from the behavior of a lop as an uppy eared rabbit. You can consider Lop as the language Rabbit, but spoken with an accent.


Some signals' descriptions might be superficially similar and yet have very different meanings. For instance, an angry rabbit, one that's scared, and one asking to be groomed will all have their ears back. Accompanying signals will almost always indicate the real meaning, but the situation's context (i.e. recent events) will also help to make things clear.


Rabbits use a lot of special postures to signal others, but just because some particular action or pose is a signal in one context doesn't mean that every time a rabbit does it a meaningful signal is intentionally being given. As Sigmund Freud once said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Don't worry if some of the material here seems a bit complicated or hard to master. Humans are excellent at recognizing nonverbal communication, including context and accompanying signals. We do it all the time with each other, and it comes quite naturally.


Most of the language given in this guide is targetted at neutered rabbits as unneutered rabbits are often significantly more aggressive, and may be less interested in conversing with you about anything but hierarchy and territoriality. They also give different sounds and signals of which i will go into briefly.

The New Addition

Finally, after almost a month of searching and comparing breeders up and down the country for a new kitten (baby rabbit) i finally got one!!

I have been searching mini lop breeders to find a mini lop that i liked. I visited many breeders and contacted many by telephone, etc. I just so happened to come across a breeder not too far away that breeds full pedigree mini lops. I had in mind what i wanted as this kit will be the start of my revampt showing and breeding programme. I was wanting a female so i could breed her and had my mind set on an orange. Every breeder either never had any or they weren't suitable but i phoned this one breeder up and the first thing she said was that she had an ORANGE DOE! I had a feeling she would be the one so i got a lift up to the breeders on Friday 2nd September afternoon to view her mini lops as she also had many others. As soon as i got there it looked promising. She had over 30 rabbits which were well handled and kept and then i saw her and fell in absloute love! I got her and brought her home in her pink flowery carrier with her new baby blue blanket i bought weeks ealier for the new rabbit.

I called her Millie and from friday to monday she stayed in the conservatory in her carrier to sleep and run about in the conservatory. She didn't really eat at all for the first 3 days - only a strand of hay and a few pellets and i was worried but i think she was just out of her comfort zone. She is so playful but loves cuddles - she already knows my voice and is learning her name. We settled her into her hutch on monday night but gave her a hot water bottle and she snuggled into the straw. As soon as she got into her hutch she munched on her food for ages it was as though her natural instinct kicked in. Introduced her to my French lop Floppsy and they love each other. Floppsy thinks its her baby and licks her to death and Millie follws her everywhere. I think she is sort of teething so gave her some wood as she loves to chew on it. She is tiny inside the huge two story hutch but ive kept the latch up incase she can't get down the ramp and falls so i'll introduce her to it when she is older. She is just about properly litter trained completely and is really good at it. I went crazy and went to the big pet supermarket and got her a wee bowl, food, a new pink litter tray, toys, things to knaw on and got her her own wee pink harness. I will start harness training her when she is 4 months roughly.

Breeding - prevention and how to breed properly -

You may have heard the expression "breeding like rabbits". This is because rabbits are known to breed quite a lot! If left unattended a male and female rabbit who are sexually mature will breed numerous times and you will end up with lots and lots of little bunnies. Breeding is serious and people often let young rabbits play together and do not realize and they think how could this happen as they are not adults but rabbits can mate from 12 weeks old (this should not be allowed as it could kill the mother as her bones have not properly developed yet). If you are not wanting this to happen there are lots of ways to prevent it. I do not recommend breeding unless you are really interested and dedicated and have the time and facilities to do so.
So many people don't care about their rabbit getting pregnant but it is serious - you wouldn't just let your dog or cat get pregnant - these are little lives that are being put in jeopardy by careless people.

These are different breeder hutches that you can get.

Prevention:
Rabbits can breed from a very young age (12 weeks) so if you have a boy and a girl seperate them. Also, make sure that if you have two rabbits living together or interacting that you know the sexes (sexes can be known from 4 weeks old). Pet shops, etc can get it wrong so get a second opinion by a vet or someone who knowsa lot about rabbits. Make sure you know the sexes or next time you go out there could be lots of bunnies.
Get your rabbits neutered. A neutered male and female can be great companions and the sooner you get them neutered the better as this allows them to play together without the risk of babies and also prevents sexual frustration (which may be taken out on ther things - your foot etc). There are also many other reasons why you should neuter your rabbits as well as preventing babies (check out my blog: Neutering).


How to breed properly:
If you are thinking of breeding then first consider that breeding is most definitely not an activity to be entered into lightly, or casually, without assessing whether you have the knowledge and extensive time-commitment required – and permanent, responsible loving homes for the youngsters.

Before breeding, please ask yourself:-

• "Why do I want to breed my rabbits?"
• "What will I achieve through breeding?"
• "Do I have the time commitment, knowledge and experience to proceed?"
• "Do I have good, responsible and loving homes for the offspring?"

These are all very important to consider whether you are breeding for a hobby or a business.
The first thing to do is gather interest. You want people to know that you breed rabbits so that people will contact YOU to find out if you have any available. That way you will have homes for the kits when they are old enough and will have a waiting list of people wanting a kit instead of them being born and then not having any homes. You can get interest by setting up a website, word of mouth, posters, etc.

What age should your rabbits be when they should start breeding?
Rabbits can breed from as young as 3 months but should not be allowed. A small breed doe is normally ready to mate when she is 5 months old, and a buck is ready at 6 months. The medium size doe is ready to breed when she is 6 months old and the buck at 7 months. The heavy breed doe is ready at 8 months and the buck is ready at 9 months. I would suggest though to wait until your does are at least 9 months old before she has her first litter (no matter what breed she is).

Now the actual mating:
It's usually a good idea to select rabbits to breed whose ancestry has evidence of good productivity and good genetics. That's where productivity records and pedigrees listing show winnings come in handy. Keep productivity and show records of your herd just for this purpose.
You may keep a ratio of one buck to 10 does if you wish. The buck may be bred up to 7 times a week effectively. Sometimes, you can use the buck twice in one day. The most I use a buck is twice a week.
If you have a buck and a doe put the doe into the bucks hutch or area, as this will encourage mating to occur quicker because if you put the buck into the does he will want to investigate and most likely the female will attack the buck as they are extremely territorial. Some leave the doe with the buck overnight. Others put the doe in, watch it, and when they have mated, remove the doe. If you do the latter, put the doe back in with the buck 1 to 12 hours after the initial breeding. This will increase the likelihood of pregnancy and may increase the number of offspring. However, do NOT let the doe and buck mate multiple times or freely as they please as this can cause problems because the doe has two uterine horns, each of which can carry babies. It is possible for one horn to be fertilized on the first mating and the second to be fertilized on the second mating. This will create a hormonal imbalance and cause the babies in both uteri to not form right, causing her to pass blobs instead of babies at the date of kindling. There is also a chance these "mummified" blobs could cause complications leading to the death of the doe. So - if you let them breed then a week or so later she may have got pregnant the first time and also the second so she and the kits may die.
After they have mated, pick up the doe and hold her rump up to contain the semen. Once they have mated, seperate them and once you have picked the doe up put her comfortably in her own hutch as if it is her first time she may be slightly traumatised . She should have a nice straw bed and plenty of hay to make her nest. It is a good idea to have a nest box for her as she will give birth there and the babies will be safe inside. Also if the mother is being annoyed by her kittens, she can go out of the nest box and get some peace. If you do not have a nest box, at the edges of the hutch ake sure that there is a lip bit to stop the kits falling out as they are born blind.

One example of a nest box

If you have a doe and want to breed her but do not have or know a buck you can get a stud rabbit. This is particularly good if you have a pure breed doe and want to get a pure breed buck with good standards and a good blood line. This will will help give you an outstanding litter of kittens which can be sold for a lot of money. Also if you have a very outstanding BRC buck with champion blood you can rent him out as a stud if he is not neutered. This can give both parties the best of both worlds if you do not want or have the space for both a buck and doe.

Who Can Be Bred To Whom?
Never breed brothers to sisters. Other combinations are fine: father-to-daughter, mother-to-son, cousins, etc. Until you gain some knowledge as to how genetics works with inbreeding, I would recommend your not breeding closely related pairs.

Rabbit Diseases 2

Malocclusion

This post is in dedication of an art teacher i know called Mr Macdonald who has a rabbit with constant growing teeth. He has had them removed but nothing works. We never get the chance to proparly talk for long enough about it and it is such a big problem in rabbits that i thought i ought to just type away about it.

Malocclusion is the constant growing of rabbits teeth and disalignment of the incisors.

The largest problem rabbits have is with their teeth. 90% of rabbit illnesses and problems are to do with their teeth. Many health issues and illnesses lead back to their teeth. Let me go into it.

The classic picture of a rabbit for most people is the goofy buck-toothed Bugs bunny or Dylan from the magic roundabout. Whilst these seem healthy cartoon characters, rabbits with teeth which do not meet or whick have poor enamel are in a dangerous state.

How?

Rabbits teeth grow constantly all of their life (as much as 2mm per week) and if they grow too longthey can be very painful. If the teeth are not worn down by chewing, the cheek teeth grow too long and are forced together. Further growth forces the mouth open slightly so that the front incisors do not meet properly and they start to overgrow and lengthen. The upper incisors curl back into the mouth and the lower incisors protrude outwards. This is usually the stage at which a problem is noticed but there is already considerable damage by this time. If the molars or cheek teeth do not meet properly they wear unevenly, causing sharp spikes to form. They erode at the gums causing painful ulcers.

Signs

Bottom teeth start to protrude.

Rabbits may lose their appetites because of the pain the are not able to eat or chew.

Loss of weight.

Other signs of dental disease can be persisitent runny or infected eyes. This is because the tear ducts will be affected by abnormalities of the roots of the incisor teeth.

Dental problems may also affect the rabbits ability to eat their caecotrophs which then stick to the rabbits bottom and attract flies. Failure to eat caecotrophs may also  lead to nutritional deficiences which can be fatal.

Rabbits will struggle to groom themselves at all.

The rabbit may dribble.

Abscesses in the mouth and jaw.

As the condition progresses the jaw may become lumpy as the jaw bone erodes. This is very painful and may lead to infection in the tooth roots and abscesses on the face and head.

Why?

Malocclusion in rabbits is either inherited (hereditary) or acquired.

One reason is that the bones of the jaw do not form properly due to deficiences in calcium and other minerals.

Inherited malocclusion is more likely to happen with dwarf breeds of rabbits. They have been bred with small heads so the rabbit’s teeth may not sit correctly in their small jaw.
Acquired malocclusion happens when teeth aren’t ground down over time, or an accident, or even excessive pulling on the wire of their cage, changes the alignment of the incisors.
One main reason for malocclusion is that many rabbits are bred wrongly and i do not recommend buying a rabbit from a pet shop as they are not bred right and you do not know their ancestory and if there is a hereditary dental problem. Therefore, the teeth do not grind down as easily as they should. Another reason is wrong nutrition. Many people do not feed their rabbits the right stuff with the right nutrients and do not provide the tools with which to keep their teeth short. Some breeds actually are prone to dental problems (genetic malformation) so check out the breed first. Dental disease is often the underlying cause of other disorders of the rabbit (e.g. digestive system, malnutrition, skin disease, fly strike, social disharmony and aggression.)

How to prevent and help it
Feeding should mimic what a rabbit would eat in the wild (i.e not all pellets!). Hay and grass foods should form most of a rabbits diet. People think that its food bowl should be full all the time and it is true that rabbits shouls eat a little often but only a little dry food should be given and as long as they have hay/grass and water they will be fine. They are especially good for dental health as the gnawing action required to eat them helps rabbits to wear down their teeth. Chew toys and large blocks of wood are also good for gnawing on and mineral blocks and twigs (make sure first though that the tree is not poisonous). If wood is not given the rabbit will start to eat away the inside of the hutch. Plastic food bowls and toys and treated wood are not recommended as if chewed can harm your rabbit. Overgrown incisors should be shortened by being filed down by dental burrs or clipped if really bad however sometimes clipping teeth can damage teeth and gums. If the case is very bad one long term solution is to remove upper and lower incisors. When getting a rabbit, check out the ancestory and make sure the breed is not prone to teeth problems and that the rabbits ancestors did not have dental problems as it could be passed on. Remember and check your rabbits teeth daily as its better to look for early signs that can be prevented quickly.





Rabbit dental burrs



Dedication to Dusty

On Sunday 29th May my beloved childhood french lop Dusty died. She had just turned 9 yrs old. She had began to get really old and slowed right down but she was such a great rabbit. Her sister Floppsy mourned over her for a while but is now doing much better and i have been letting her have more interaction with her friend Fudge who seems to be making her happy. There are two pictures of Floppsy and Dusty on my blogger (one at the top of the page and one at the bottom) Dusty is the grey and white one. She never liked to be lifted up much and i called her my "wee ground rabbit" as she was so happy and felt safe when she was on the ground. She would come over and stretch her wee neck out for you to clap her. She was fantastic at doing tricks and was great at walking by my side on the harness and agility. She won competitions for agility and was so responsive to signals. I miss her ever so much and no other rabbit i get will ever compare to her.

R.I.P Dusty my wee Princess

Contact Me

To contact me email: therabbitwhisperer@live.co.uk

Other blogger: dustyrussellrabbitry.blogspot.com

Youtube: therabbitwhisperer1

Feel free to contact me with any question, etc!

In the home or in a hutch?

I am asked quite regularly about housing a rabbit and where to keep it. When i first had experience with rabbits i was quite adamant that they should be kept outside in their natural habitat but what sometimes is the case is that the rabbit is forgotten about in a hutch at the bottom of the garden. If kept as a house rabbit however they will not allow this to happen and will constantly demand your attention. I will go into detail about each then it's up to you to decide. It is also about your circumstances. Whether or not you have large garden, etc.

-verses-

Any rabbit can be a house rabbit. A  house rabbit though, should NOT be kept in the house for its whole life without being allowed outside, that's as bad as leaving it in a hutch. They should be allowed outside whenever they want. Bunny proof your garden so that they can go out to play at certain times (i.e when your at work) to roam around so that they do not get bored and you come home to a wrecked house. If your garden cannot be bunny proofed get a run and transfer them into it for a play about although make sure you dig it deep into the ground otherwise your rabbit may dig out of the run or you can put it on slabs which will wear their nails down and they won't have to get them clipped as regularly.

If you don't have a garden then train your rabbit on the harness and take them for a good walk. People do not realise this but rabbits need to be walked just like dogs. How would you like to not be able to venture out of your own back garden?

It doesn't really matter about the weather, some rabbits love the rain but make sure they don't get too cold. House rabbits can become great pets and you can litter train them. A house rabbit will greet you from work and may wake you up in the morning. Rabbits have a very good time keeping instinct and need a routine for them to be happy. Unlike dogs, who will wake you up at any time (and babies), rabbits start to learn your routine. The time you get up in the morning and so if you have a strong bond with your rabbit, they will wake you up in the morning by jumping on your bed and continually nudging you or pulling at the covers. It's the best alarm!

They will also learn at what time you come home and may wait by the door for your arrival, but they will want immediate attention when they come  in and a treat or they may stomp their feet at you! They can be very well trained and will snuggle up to you. Your rabbit can sleep in a special cage in your house or it can be

allowed to sleep in a room that has nothing dangerous in it (wires,etc) and give them plenty of toys to keep them busy.

Despite what people say, rabbits do not need to be brought in at winter time and are not cold in their hutches if they have another rabbit, or plenty of bedding to cuddle into. Rabbits much prefer the cold than the heat and wild rabbits can survive temperatures way below freezing. Outdoor rabbits must have space to run around and be able to go in and out of their hutch freely. They must also have places to hide if feeling under threat such as a cardboard box with a hole in it, etc. Simple things to keep your rabbit happy and safe. To stop boredom some rabbits like to play with a ball and treats hidden around the garden is fun and time consuming. For rabbits that do not like running around and are fat, get a treat ball that has to be rolled around to get the treat out will help them lose weight but put healthy treats inside or it defeats the purpose.

Other suggestions for toys are tunnels and large blocks of wood to gnaw on and jump over. Outdoor rabbits can also be litter trained easily enough and will only use it after that. Outdoor and indoor rabbits can be well trained if enough time is spent with them and both are able to do agility training and showjumping.

You know your rabbit. They may like to follow you inside and snuggle beside you or prefer to roam around outside like a wild bunny. It's up to both of you!

Cruelty

When the words "animal cruelty" come to mind, what are the first thoughts that strike your mind? Perhaps the case not that long ago where hundreds of horses were found dead and many half dead, or maybe the adverts for 'dog's trust' with the sad little dog that's been abandoned? Cases such as these are publicised through the media, but what of other animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or fish? They are also all around us but we are more unaware. We shouldn't be! Forgotten easter or christmas presents like any other toy, left helplessly at the bottom of the garden in a small cage, lying on their own faeces, cramped unable to move with no hope except the longing view of the large garden outwith their reach. Then one day, an unexpected object reaches in to give a 'pat' to the small fluffy creature and it turns round and bites! The owners lunge out as if waiting for an excuse and get the poor creature put down. It's a vicious cycle.

The rabbit has been left with no human contact, no human contact at all, then is it not expected that at the slightest touch the rabbit reacts out of defense. It has never known any better, it does not know what to do, so it only does what it does know: instinct! Young children want a wee cute cuddly pet, but the parents have no time so a dog or cat is out of the question, but the child insists and so they set off to the pet shop and come back with a rabbit. Why? The child gets sick of it soon enough and well the parents have no time. Would you have a child if you had no time or intention of caring for it? The responsibility of a life is a big one, no matter how big the life. If you have young child in this situation, be firm and do not give in to their pleading eyes. Rabbits need as much time as a dog or cat and rely on human contact to prevent aggressiveness. You must research before getting an animal and make sure you have the time and circumstances for it.
Another kind of animal creulty is animal testing.

Rabbits waiting in line in stocks to be tested on!

We can have beauty without cruelty! I need not go into it much more. It is sad, and unnecessary. How would you like it? Think about these things and speak up about ANY kind of animal cruelty, and you'll be saving a life!

Rabbit Diseases

Preventing Flystrike


As it is coming up to Summer time I thought that I would start with a very common problem with rabbits around this time: Flystrike.
The thing that I hate about Summer is the flies. They are a real nuisance to rabbits if they are outside. They get everywhere as well and poor rabbits can get flystrike. Flystrike is when a fly lays its eggs in a rabbits fur (most likely in the bottom area) and the eggs hatch and eat away at the rabbits flesh. It is a very painful thing for rabbits and can be fatal. If it is caught in the early stages it can be successfully treated, although their are many ways to help prevent it in the first place.If you have ever heard a rabbit scream, it is the most horrible, blood curling thing that you will ever hear. I once heard a rabbit scream when it was being treated for flystrike as it was in so much pain. Some of it's skin was eaten away and the rest was all manged. The vet had a real struggle holding the poor thing down. I never want to hear that again so here are some ways and suggestions to stop that happening:


Firstly, check your bunny daily. You must check your rabbit every day especially around the bottom area to check for any flies or if there is any faeces around that area it must be cleaned as this will encourage flies. When bathing your rabbit, make sure that they are thoroughly dry afterwards because flies will lay their eggs in moist areas. (Please note that rabbits do not need to be bathed at all but if you want to it is be kept to a maximum of around once a year except for long haired breeds e.g angoras which can be bathed slightly more and will require regular grooming to keep their coats from getting tangled). You can get rabbit shampoo which kills off any flies, lice, mites, or fleas that are on your rabbit. There are also sprays that you can purchase from good pet shops which will keep those nasty bugs away from your rabbit. Rabbits should clean themselves and their bottom area but if they are overweight or live in a dirty hutch they will not.

Secondly, you can get things to stop flies going in their hutches which is one of the main ways that they will get flystrike. Any nooks and spaces, flies will be attracted to and they will live and breed there. One way to stop this is to get fly hutch spray. You can get it from most good pet shops. You spray it in their hutch, leave it to dry and then put their bedding in. It will keep the flies away for weeks! Then just do the same once it starts to wear off. You can also get a fly net which you can put in front of the wire bit of their hutch - it will let air in, but keep flies out!

Thirdly, a simple one. Keep everything clean and dry - your rabbits, their hutch, and their environment where they live. Disinfect their hutch once or twice a year with rabbit friendly disinfectant. This will give the flies no reason to be there!

There are many different products you can buy but these are some I personally recommend:

Fly strike spray directly onto rabbits fur

Shampoo kills lice, mites,  fleas and other insects
(not for regular use)

Rabbit friendly Disinfectant hutch spray

Hutch spray kills flies and keeps them away

Here is a video that will shock you into making sure your rabbit will never get flystrike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEnzvaEuX9w&feature=related





The Real Rabbit Whisperer - A little background

Some people are dog people, others are cat people. Me? I'm a rabbit person. I guess you could say i always have been. I got my first rabbit when i was 6 years old. It was initially my big brother that wanted one and i can definitely thank him for that. We went to the pet shop to get our rabbits. My brother lost interest, but from that moment on my interest grew. Soon though, i wasn't satisfied with just feeding and cuddling them, i wanted more. I wanted to truly bond with them and understand them. That is why I'm here. I want to help others come to have the same bond with their rabbits just as i have with mine. There is plenty of info on the Internet and in books on how much hay to give your rabbit or what size of hutch to get but not any good incite into their brain. I have seen other people claim to be the rabbit whisperer but the truth is there can only be one. They are the rabbit whisperer yet there biggest articles are on "what it means if your rabbit eats it's own poop?" This is important to know but psychology is so much more.

It is truly knowing and connecting with your rabbit and knowing what goes on in their brain and their true natural instincts. I have studied and researched rabbit psychology for a number of years and i am here to help people who are truly interested in rabbits. Every summer i also hold rabbit training classes, for which i am qualified and i am here to help with any rabbit problems. I also do nail clippings, teeth rasping and help with other medical problems.






Floppsy and Dusty my French Lops

Some of the rabbit language i will discuss applies only to neutered rabbits as it is sometimes different for uneutered rabbits and some of the talking rabbits do with their ears does not apply with lops as they mostly do not move their ears. Soon though, you should hopefully find talking to your rabbit really easy although warn your family as they may drag you to the psychiatrist. WARNING: they may do so anyway! You should be able to call them and they will come running - and not just for food! Feel free to ask me any questions or if you need help with anything.